Everything Matt Campbell Said From Purdue Midweek Press Conference

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State is coming off the bye with a 3-4 record with five games left in the 2026 regular season.

Head coach Matt Campbell talked about the bye week, what Koby Howard’s status is, and how good Tony Rojas can be.

Here is the full transcripts from Campbell’s press conference:

Injury Updates: Koby Howard and Brett Eskildsen

Question: Matt, can you give us an update on Koby? Also, it looked at the end of the Michigan game as if Brett was banged up a little bit. Is he OK and ready to go?

Matt Campbell: Yeah, Brett is 100% ready to go.

Koby’s situation is probably where I left off last week. I think last week I said he was probably questionable for this week, and I think we’re still at the same point. He’s progressing in a really positive way.

I think we’ll know a lot more by the time we get to the end of the week about whether he would be available to play this week. He was out on the practice field today, so that was a positive for sure.

Penn State’s Pass Rush Struggles

Question: We just spoke with D’Anton about the pass rush and the inability to generate a lot of pressure on the quarterback. How much of an emphasis is that for you moving forward to find success on the defensive side of the ball?

Is it something where the defensive line can organically take on that challenge, or is it something you’re going to have to supplement with second- and third-level defenders?

Campbell: Well, I think the answer currently is a collection of both.

We can improve, and we can help put some of those guys in better positions at times. I think that’s just what’s great about a bye week: the opportunity to reflect on some of the gaps that you have and fundamentally go back and, both from a coaching perspective and a playing perspective, attack those gaps.

I thought that’s certainly an area for us where we can grow and get better.

The other piece of it is, when we’ve been able to pressure or have pressure throughout the season, when has that shown up?

I think it’s collectively, at times, been a four-man pass rush and those guys being able to at least affect the passer, but also times where we’ve had the opportunity to use our second- and third-level defenders to make an impact.

I think the answer currently with this team and our setup is we’re going to need a little bit of all of those things as we continue to move forward to be at our best and to create and generate pass rush.

How Koby Howard’s Return Could Impact the Offense

Question: If Koby does return, do you think he could be the missing piece that helps cure some of the offense’s struggles, especially with Chase stepping up during his absence?

Campbell: Well, I think the unfortunate piece is you haven’t had those guys on the field at the same time, probably playing in that same rhythm.

When you have, you feel like you were a way more complete football team than maybe you were those first two games back without Koby.

I think you’re trying to navigate: Who are we? What are we?

And yet, I feel like the last two weeks, you’ve kind of found the rhythm. You’ve found a lot more of who you want to be and how you continue to progress forward.

I do think getting Koby back will be a huge asset to our football team, and I think that’s why we’ve got to make sure he’s healthy and truly ready to play on the football field.

We have to make sure that we get the Koby that you saw the first three games of the season, not a shell of Koby. I think that part’s really important for us.

Adjusting Team Goals and Bowl Eligibility

Question: Have you had to adjust some team goals based on the first half of the season? Do you look down the road and emphasize getting to a bowl game and the value that may have? How do you look at your readjusted goals, if you have?

Campbell: Yeah, I think the bigger thing, and I really try to take it week to week with our football team, is where are we? How do we continue to move ourselves forward?

I think a lot of those things we talked about at the onset of the season, breaking the season up into four different quarters.

I think we’ve flipped to the third quarter of our season, and where are we?

I still think there are things for us that the goal we set out, first and foremost, is the identity of our football program moving forward.

Who do we want to be? What do we want to become? This is the vision of where we want to be.

And again, I think even getting into a bye week, where are our gaps? How far away are we in some of these areas from where we want to go and where we need to go to have that identity as we continue to move ourselves forward as a football program?

A lot of it has been on leadership. A lot of it has been on the identity of our football program.

That’s really been our focus from day one, more than a win or a loss or talking about those end goals.

Because if we don’t take care of those things, if we don’t create those things, those other things always take care of themselves when you take care of yourself.

I think that’s really been our focus, to be quite honest with you, all season long.

Fixing the Running Game During the Bye Week

Question: Matt, I can’t speak for Greg Pickel, but I did miss you during the bye week.

Campbell: I appreciate that. I appreciate that.

Question: With a bye week to work with, do you think there’s one or two things holding the running game back that can be fixed? How confident are you that it could look quite a bit different during the final five games, starting with Purdue?

Campbell: Yeah, I would just say, from my end, you’re right. I have confidence because I think when you look at what you saw, there’s been growth and improvement in areas.

And yet, it starts with coaching, identifying what can we do?

We now have a collection of data from seven games. What are we? What allows us to have and find the consistency in the running game that we would like to find?

Again, I think if you look at USC and Michigan, at times you’re finding a little bit more of that consistency in the running game, and still not to where we want to be.

I think even going into the bye week, the opportunity to really digest that information and have a clear plan, both schematically and fundamentally, moving ourselves forward.

The biggest piece that I saw from the bye week is our football team’s demand to come out and have great practices and want to fix the problems, equally from the coaches’ standpoint of collectively trying to fix the problems.

I think that gives me a lot of confidence, and I think we’re really excited about continuing to move this thing forward from that perspective, for sure.

Rocco Becht’s Development and Reset During the Bye Week

Question: What were some of the things you guys did last week with Rocco to try to get him to reset? What’s the benefit of a bye week when you’ve had a guy who’s had some ups and downs this year?

Campbell: Well, I think Rocco, like a lot of our players, to be honest with you, we tried to really do a deep-dive self-evaluation of where they are.

And I think that all can’t be just what’s going wrong. What also went right, right?

I think we were able to put a lot of that collectively together.

Here’s where there are some really great moments. Here’s where we’re playing at our best, and here’s where we’re not and why.

I think even Rocco would tell you, fundamentally, there are some things when it got chaotic at times, whether it was a decision-making process or maybe an inaccuracy process, it’s fundamental. It’s coachable. It’s able to get corrected.

I think that piece of it is exciting because you’re able to go to work, and you’re able to put the time, effort and energy not into the scheme, but into the fundamentals and details.

I think not just Rocco, but all of our guys, have the opportunity to grow themselves so they can consistently play to the best of their ability.

Again, I would say that I feel very convicted about Rocco.

There’s a lot of good football in there. There’s a lot of really good play in there.

When he’s at his best and when he’s playing good football, he’s giving us a chance to win games.

I think some of the areas where he has to be better to win games are evident as well.

I think it gave us a lot of time and effort to correct those things and have a great plan moving ourselves forward.

Kickoff Returns and Punting Consistency

Question: I have two questions about your special teams.

You guys are in the latter half of the country when it comes to the number of kickoff returns. Is the amount you fair catch simply a mathematical or analytics equation, or is there something else going on, considering how explosive Z is?

And do you feel like you’re getting enough out of your punting unit at this point?

Campbell: Yeah, I think both of those are kind of unique.

In the kickoff return world, I would just say, in my opinion, there is value in understanding where you are.

Getting the ball at the 25-yard line, at times, there is a lot of value to that.

We’ve played some great kickers, guys that certainly can elevate the ball into the back of the end zone or have elite hang time.

You’re at a real disadvantage at times when you’re trying to ask the kick return team to make something happen because two things can happen.

You don’t get the ball to the 25, which is a wasted opportunity, or there’s a penalty, and it puts you in a really tough situation.

So I think there is an analytics conversation about, are we going to return it here? Are we going to green-light this?

There are strike zones to our returns of where the ball needs to be if we are going to return it.

And then on the punting piece of it, we’ve talked about this a lot.

I think the strengths are that we’ve been outstanding in our pooch punting and our sky punting.

There’s been more of those situations, as we’ve talked about. I think it’s double what we’ve ever had at this point in the season over the last four or five years, as we’ve looked.

There are positives and negatives.

The positive is you’re driving the football and you’re sky punting, and we’ve executed that at a really high rate.

I think the area of open-field punting consistency is something that can continue to be better.

I think our coverage unit, we let off one big return in the Northwestern game, and other than that, we’ve done a really good job in our punt coverage.

But I still would say the consistency in our open-field punting can certainly continue to improve.

That was something we were able to really go to work on this past week.

Handling Adversity and Staying Committed to the Process

Question: You’re obviously an extremely competitive guy. You’ve been through a lot over 15 years of coaching.

You’ve said that with the team, you try to take it week to week. But how do you handle stress like this? What do you tell yourself? How do you cope? And how hard is it to stick to the plan and the process?

Campbell: Well, I think that is one of the benefits of having 15 years of experience as a head football coach.

At Iowa State, I felt like we had to rebuild our program three different times.

When I took over as the head football coach at Toledo, you felt like you had to rebuild the program, kind of where it was.

I feel like going through those experiences has certainly helped with the dynamic of this experience.

Again, what are you trying to get out of year one? What are you trying to get out of building a football team and a program?

How do you not waver and flinch when adversity hits?

I still think leadership is not when it’s going great.

Leadership is the ability to build culture, and when you’re not getting the results you want, identifying why you’re not getting them, but certainly not leaving the plan of how you want to build the team and what the expectations are in terms of standards and expectations.

I think those things have been beneficial.

I think you work really hard to think back on all those things.

Again, from a frustration standpoint, as a competitor, I’d be naive to say there haven’t been some really frustrating moments and some moments where you’re disappointed in terms of where you are or where you would want to be.

No different than our fan base and no different than the people who really care about Penn State football.

But I think the reality of it is the confidence and belief in the vision of where you want to go and what it needs to look like.

Not only are you going to do it, but you’re going to do it with sustained, true success over a long period of time.

That’s hard to find in football anywhere, sustainable success with great consistency.

At the end of the day, that’s my mission, and that’s my job: to build that kind of football program here at Penn State.

What Campbell Learned About His Team During the Bye Week

Question: You mentioned, when talking about the running game, the football team’s demand to come out and fix things in practice. That gave you a lot of confidence.

What specifically did you gain last week? What happened last week that gave you confidence in this team?

Campbell: Yeah, I still say the how.

You’re dealing with 18- to 22-year-olds who, no different than the question just asked of the coach, deal with the highs and lows of a result, individually and collectively.

To me, the spirit of that group and how they have demanded to fight back, I saw it after the USC game.

I saw it after we came back from Northwestern, and I saw it even when we were down 14-3 at Michigan.

It’s some of those moments for me where you’re like, man, this group kept fighting and demanded a pathway forward.

I was interested to see how our team would practice last week.

What kind of intent? What would it look like?

You’re not having a game, and there are areas that we, as coaches, have to fix, and there are areas that you, as players, have to continue to demand a fix.

To watch that group really come to work and demand a pathway forward, that part is certainly energizing, and you’re really excited.

I continue to say we’ve got the right people in the locker room.

I feel really strong about that today after what I’ve watched this group continue to demand and work toward.

Penn State’s Bye-Week Practice Schedule

Question: In terms of practice, talking about years past and last week, what does a practice week look like during a bye week?

Campbell: Yeah, well, like I said, when you have a lot of work to do, it looks like a lot of work.

I thought we really had a great Tuesday practice.

Wednesday gave us a great opportunity. We had self-scouted ourselves a lot and really had a great opportunity to give that information back to our players with videotape evidence of what we’re saying rather than just saying it, both individually and collectively.

Not only did we have individual meetings with a lot of our players, but we also had the collective whole of, these are our challenges, and this is what we need to fix.

Then being able to come back again on Thursday and have another great practice.

I thought our kids’ intent was there, and I thought our coaches did a great job of self-reflecting on where we can be better.

Because again, it starts with coaches, from the head coach to our coordinators, to equally our players buying into that value system of growing and improving.

That’s what it looked like for us last week.

Finding an Offensive Identity Through the Offensive Line

Question: I talked to Taylor Mouser this offseason, and he mentioned that the plays you’re going to run generally are going to be the plays your players can execute.

Talking about the run game, what Anthony Donkoh and Cooper Cousins do best, but just observationally, it seems like maybe what the offensive line is good at, the running backs might not be able to execute.

Then what those guys are good at, the tight ends might also struggle with some of those concepts in the offense.

Is that a fair assessment? How do you find an identity in the run game when you’re trying to pivot to find the thing that all three units can do together collectively?

Campbell: Yeah, I would say, number one, on the offensive line, that’s a new group coming together.

I think, number one, watching that group progress and fairly evaluating what those guys can do best, it always starts with the offensive line.

I feel like there have probably been times where we’ve maybe tried to fix it by scheme rather than by fundamentals.

I think we were able to catch ourselves and kind of refocus a couple weeks ago on really trying to dial into what we can do best and what that group does best.

Then I think it becomes about the tight ends, and certainly it becomes about the running backs.

But I certainly think it always starts with those five guys.

Obviously, you’ve had some guys who have been dinged up. You’ve had some guys who have been up and down.

But I think that group is probably the healthiest it’s been, which has been a huge positive.

I thought that started about two weeks ago with Brock kind of back to playing really good football.

I think the ability for that group to move itself forward, it all starts with that group, in my opinion.

Tony Rojas’ Next Level of Development

Question: Anton just said he thinks Tony still has another level that he can get to, even with how good he’s been.

What do you think that next level looks like for Tony, and what do you think it’s going to take for him to get there?

Campbell: Well, you’ve got to remember, Tony’s worked really hard to come back from, in my opinion, a tough injury for anybody, especially a linebacker.

At the pace at which he’s coming back, there have been some wild moments for Tony, for sure.

Again, great players play with an elite level of consistency.

I think part of that is playing himself back into what that looks like on 50 snaps, and at times we’ve asked him to play 60 snaps in a game.

That’s a lot.

And yet, I think he’s such a competitor. He doesn’t want to come out of the game.

I would say the other thing is, he’s a guy who’s been asked to play in five different schemes, or at least four different schemes in Tony’s situation, in four different years.

So I think dialing into what’s being asked of me, the consistency and the fundamentals schematically, and then the confidence of getting himself back and being able to play that many snaps.

I’ve never met a great player who doesn’t want to play or be on the field, right?

I think every great player I’ve been around says, “I’m not rotating with anybody. I’m staying on the field, and if you try to sub me out, I’m not letting you do that.”

That’s Tony to a T.

I think it’s just growing back into that with the confidence of the scheme and the fundamentals of what we’re asking him.

Tony’s done some great things, and it’s been really awesome.

As we know, statistically, he’s a great catalyst when he’s at his best.

But I think there are some areas, too, where he can continue to improve, and he knows that.

What I love about Tony is he’s probably one of the guys who spearheaded last week, coming out with purpose and intent and really having a great week of practice.

I think when your best players are demanding that, then you really do have a chance to improve.

That part’s certainly positive for us.